


Hearts of Greek Fire

by carlyspade



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Hercules (1997)
Genre: F/M, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Retelling, Romance, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26304541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carlyspade/pseuds/carlyspade
Summary: We all know the story. Meg sells her soul to Hades to save her boyfriend's life just to have him leave her for another woman. And then comes the boy wonder Hercules who whisks her off her feet, renewing her faith in the male species. But what if...she chose Hades instead?
Relationships: Hades & Megara (Disney), Hades/Megara (Disney)
Comments: 70
Kudos: 82





	1. Love Is Stronger Than Death

I've never feared death. Not because I don't have anything to live for, no, I guess I embrace my mortality. That's one reason the gods envy us, don't they? Our lives mean more because we have an expiration date. A punch out of the universal time clock, if you will.

It's why I never understood everyone's fear of Hades. Oh, no, the God of the Underworld. To worship him meant you were accepting reality or something. Newsflash: Death IS reality. And some of us have to face it sooner than expected.

I'd always considered alchemists to be quacks, but we'd run out of options. My boyfriend, Ambrose, had been sick for months. No doctor could tell us what was wrong with him. If I heard one more person say, "The best you can do now is to make him comfortable," I'd shove my fist so far up their--

"Can I help you, dearie?" The alchemist, a miniature woman with a nose as long as her neck, wiry white hair, and gnarled fingers like a tree trunk, asked.

I jumped, obviously far too lost in my thoughts to have noticed her. The hood of my brown cloak flew off my head, and I pressed a hand to my chest. "By the gods, you startled me."

The rounded glasses resting on the tip of her nose magnified her eyeballs to the size of pomegranates. "You were the one who rang the bell..."

I sneered, eyeing the large bronze bell still swaying near my head. "Right. Listen. All I need are some healing herbs, and I'll be on my merry way." Digging into my satchel, I clutched a handful of drachmae, ready to get the Tartarus out of dodge.

"Ah, yes. Not all kinds of healing herbs will work. Tell me what ails you." The alchemist hobbled her way past me toward a vertical row of shelves filled with jars.

I had to step out of the way; otherwise she would've faceplanted into my kneecap. "It's not for me. It's for my boyfriend, Ambrose."

She cackled. "Ambrose. An ironic name for someone on their deathbed."

"How did you--" I pinched my eyes shut. "Fever. Aches. Upset stomach. Does any of that help?"

"Yes. Yes. Hallucinations?" Her hands dragged over the jars, knocking one of them to the ground.

I scrunched my nose, stepping me and my sandal-covered feet away from shards of glass. "Not that I know of."

"Gassiness?" She looked at me over her shoulder, flicking her tongue to the corner of her mouth.

I grimaced, twirling my wrist. "Not that I've...noticed?"

She nodded, smacked her lips together, and cradled five jars against her chest. I held my palms out, sliding backward as she whisked past me.

Honestly, was she blind as a bat?

Pottery clanked against the glass as she aimlessly measured ingredients from each jar. Using a mortar, she ground them all together, lit it on fire with a smoke cloud flourish, and poured it into an empty container.

"This paste should help, but as always, there's no guarantee," she said, holding the jar of green liquid to me.

I took it between two fingers with a grimace. "Any side effects?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Not living is a pretty big one already, wouldn't you say?"

Hesitantly, I popped the cork and took a quick whiff. Puffing my cheeks, nausea boiling, I quickly sealed it back up. "For the love of Zeus, this smells like centaur dung."

"What'd you expect it to smell like? Roses?"

"How is he supposed to take this when he's already queasy?"

"You're the girlfriend. You figure it out. Thirty drachmae." She made a come-hither gesture with her hand and held her palm out with one fist on her hip.

A breath hitched in my throat. "Thirty?" Panicking, I dug through my satchel again for good measure. "I only have twenty-five" I stared down at the pile of coins in my palm with a frown.

"That'll do." She did her come-hither again, lifting her nose in the air.

"It's all I have." I clutched the coins to my chest like a puppy.

"Do you want the concoction or not?"

I bit down on my lip and sighed. "What have I got to lose?" My hand moved toward the alchemist, her greedy gnarled fingers making grabbing gestures. "Except—" I recoiled, partially turning my back.

The alchemist rolled her eyes.

"How much of a guarantee or not is this?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

The alchemist lurched forward, snatching the coins from my hand.

"Hey!"

She shoved me toward the exit. "Closing time. May the Fates be with you!" She gave one final push, and I was outside.

"You never said if I could get—" I reached a hand for the door and it slammed shut in my face. "—my money back."

For such a tiny woman, she had the strength of a minotaur. I peered down at the vile, hoping, praying to whatever god would listen, it would work. Ambrose was the love of my life. I wasn't ready to lose him.

Flipping my hood up, I headed home. It was a hovel by any sense of the word. But it was my hovel. I could hear Ambrose's moans from the other side of the door. Not to mention, there were more holes in the walls than Swiss cheese, but I digress.

"Meg?" He asked in a weakened voice.

I rushed to his side, throwing the hood off, and taking his hands in mine. "I'm here. I bought you some medicine."

He lifted his head and then let it flop back down to the straw pillows. "Why'd you waste our money? You know it won't work."

"Stop talking like that, you big lug. What other choice did I have?" I threw my cloak over a chair and removed the vile from my bag.

Now to make this putrid ooze tolerable.

"You know what choice you have, Meg. Why make this harder on yourself?" His long black hair stuck to his forehead from fever sweat.

We didn't have much in the way of herbs, but luckily a few mint sprigs were left. This could either make it taste better or worse. Hm. I shrugged, ground some up, and added it to the jar.

"You may have given up on yourself, Ambrose. But I haven't." I walked over to him and sat on the bed's edge, popping the cork from the medicine.

"You've always been too good to me," he croaked.

Seeing a man who could plow an entire field without an ox's aid reduced to lying motionless on a bed was hard to stomach. He needed back to his old self, to not look so...weak.

"Here." I poured some of the thick liquid onto my finger and held it out.

His brown eyes stared up at me before he parted his mouth. I smoothed some over his lips.

It took a grand total of three seconds before he gagged and sputtered.

"What in Tartarus is this?" He yelled.

I scrambled for a horn mug, grabbing the clay pitcher of freshwater. "Here. Wash it down. You need to take it all." I held the mug out to him.

He snatched it from my hand with a glare and guzzled every last drop.

I leaned away, curling my hands against my chest.

He sighed and let the empty mug drop to the floor as his arm drooped down. "Thank you."

"There, see? You're going to be fine." I gave as reassuring of a smile as I could muster.

He groaned and turned on his side.

My bottom lip quivered, and I bent forward, resting my arm on the bed and shoving my face into it.

He had to be fine.

"I'd sell my soul if I have to," I whispered.


	2. Sealing The Deal

He wasn't fine. The next morning his fever increased and wouldn't break. He coughed so hard it was like he tried to push out a lung.

I couldn't stand watching him suffer like that and knew the last thing he needed to see was me being a blubbering idiot. Sniffling, I ran to the back alley and let the waterworks flow as soon as my back hit against the stone wall. 

I slapped my hands over my eyes as my shoulders bounced from all-out sobbing. Sniff. Sniff. The faint smell of smoke wafted through the air. Was something on fire? 

Slowly lowering my hands, I shifted my eyes. No one else was around. 

"Oh, Megara. Dear sweet, Meg." A man's voice said from the shadows.

I pushed off the wall and made several circles, squinting my eyes at the darkness falling over the alley's far end. 

Smoke circled at my feet as a dark robe appeared followed by gray hands with long, gangly fingers. He had an oblong face, yellow eyes, and a blue flame instead of hair. A lit cigar hung on the corner of his lips. 

I gasped, slapping a hand over my chest. "Hades."

"You know who I am. Good. That'll make things easier." He wiggled his eyebrows. Plucking the cigar from his mouth, he twirled his wrist, and it disappeared in a spiral of smokey tendrils. He steepled his fingers.

"People don't normally recognize you?" I arched a brow. "I figured the flaming blue hair would be a dead giveaway."

"And she's a comedienne. Even better." A sinister grin pulled at his lips, revealing rows of pointy teeth. 

"What do you want, Hades?" I folded my arms and jutted a hip.

"A dame who cuts straight to the chase. I like it." He disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared behind me. 

My shoulders tensed, and I held my breath.

"Look. I like ya, Meg. And I couldn't help overhearing your little--" He swirled his hands around, floating circles around me. "--predicament."

"He's dying," I whispered.

"Oh, his life thread is taut, toots. You could pluck it like a lyre. Lucky for you..." He curled his fingers under my chin, smoke rolling over my neck. He tilted my head up until our gazes met. "I have an 'in' with the Fates."

Hope fluttered over my heart. 

"What are you saying?" I asked, letting my hands drop at my sides.

"I, as King of the Underworld, can cut you...a deal." The word "deal" rolled off his tongue like snake venom.

My heart pounded against my chest. "I'm listening." 

"Your darling boyfriend's life in exchange for--" He dropped his mouth to my ear. "You." 

The skin between my eyes wrinkled, and I backpedaled away from him. "What in Tartarus are you suggesting?"

He floated toward me, backing me up until I pressed against the alley wall. "Two years of servitude."

I grimaced in disgust. "You want me to be your slave?" 

He frowned. "You make it sound so barbaric. I'd call on you for favors at my will. Meanwhile, you get to stay here and shack it up with Hottie McTottie in there."

I wrapped my arms around myself, disgusted I was actually considering it. What choice did I have? He'd die if I didn't. 

"What kind of favors?"

He dragged a hand over the blue flame of his hair and shrugged. "Eh, you know, your normal run of the mill business transactions. Errands. Betrayals. Maybe a dance or two." He winked. 

Nausea bubbled in my stomach. I bit my thumbnail and paced the length of the alleyway.

Hades' yellow eyes shifted, watching me. Waiting.

"May I add this is kinda a time-sensitive situation? He's gonna croak in--" In a puff of a smoke, an animated sun dial appeared. "Thirty seconds." 

My jaw dropped. "Thirty seconds?" I pressed my hands to each side of my head as my breathing grew erratic.

Hades looked between me and the sundial. "Time's a-wastin', Meg. What'll it be?"

I beat my palm against my forehead. Ambrose's life was quite literally in my hands. The responsibility was overwhelming. 

"Ten, nine, eight," Hades counted off, the numbers appearing in the air in front of me in smoke flashes.

"Do it," I whispered, my shoulders slumping.

Hades appeared beside me, cupping one hand over his ear. "I'm sorry, a little louder, so the folks at home can hear you?" 

"I said...do it." I lifted my chin, holding back the tears welling in my eyes.

Hades' eyes narrowed as a villainous grin slid over his lips. "Splendid." He swirled his hand, and a contract floated in the air in front of me. A black quill materialized from a waft of smoke, and he held it out to me between two fingers. "One signature. One life."

I sighed and took the quill, looking away as I signed my name. 

He clapped his hands together. The contract and quill disappeared in a flash of orange fire. He lowered his face to mine, grinning like a hyena. "I'll be in touch." 

In a flash of smoke and flame, he was gone. I blew out a breath and sprinted back into the house. Happy tears rolled down my cheeks at the sight of Ambrose sitting up, pressing his hands to his head and chest. 

"Ambrose?" 

He looked at me with wide eyes before bursting into laughter. "I don't know what happened, Meg, but I feel great. More than great." 

I ran over and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face into his shoulder as I sobbed. "I was so afraid I'd lose you." 

He pressed a hand over the back of my head. "I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere."


	3. I Would Do Anything For Love...

I sat at the table with my legs crossed, chin resting in my hand as Ambrose walked back and forth. He'd been pacing for the last thirty minutes and wouldn't shut up about divine intervention. I loved the guy, but it bordered on annoying.

"This is amazing. Do you know what this means?" Ambrose said, stopping in front of me with a wide grin and his hands up. 

I blew a breath out from the corner of my mouth, tossing my hair into the air. "That we can finally go on that vacation to Thrace?"

"No. No." He stood up straight and put his fists on his hips. "The gods deemed me worthy of saving."

This was getting ridiculous. 

"Or some completely selfless person sacrificed something on your behalf?" I flicked my hand in the air. "I mean, that's just a shot in the dark."

He furrowed his brow and looked at me like I'd suddenly become a cyclops. "What? No. It was clearly the gods. I need to make sure I get the most out of this new life they've granted me." He rubbed his chin. "Show my devotion to them." 

"How about a simple, 'Thanks gods.'" I two-finger saluted toward Mount Olympus. "And we can get on with our lives." I stood up and slid my arms around his waist. "Nothing shows devotion like a lasting love between mortals, right?" 

He peeled my arms away and turned around. "No. Love would only appease Aphrodite and Eros. It has to be bigger." 

My arms were in the air, wrapped in their "o" shape as if they were still around Ambrose. I frowned and let them flop at my sides. 

He snapped his fingers. "I got it." He took one of my hands in his. "Meg." 

This was it. I pressed a hand over my heart and nodded. "Yes, Ambrose?" 

"I'm entering the Olympics." He put his fists on his hips again like he was some hero or something.

My face fell. "I'm sorry. What?" 

"What better way to honor the gods then show them my strength and valor in games they created?" He paced again. "I can throw the discus. Or maybe--no wait. Wrestling!"

I arched a brow and folded my arms. "Wrestling? The only wrestling I've ever seen you do is with the saddle on your horse." 

"You're right. I need to find a trainer. And the sooner, the better." He ran over to the trunk at the foot of our bed, yanking a burlap sack from the bedpost. 

"What are you doing?" I rushed over to him, sinuses burning as I watched him shoving clothes and food into the bag.

"I'm not getting any younger, Meg. If I'm going to do this, it needs to be now." He stormed for the door.

"Then, I'm going with you." I trotted behind him after grabbing my cloak.

He spun on his heel and held a palm up. "This is...something I need to do on my own." 

My heart raced. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

His eyes fell to the ground. A knock sounded at the door. His gaze shot back up like I'd caught him with his hand in the baklava pot. I glared at him, and my heart pounded against my chest. 

"Ambrose? Did I come too early?" A woman's voice asked from outside. 

Heat flushed up my neck, and I turned a seething gaze on him. "That's why you sent the pigeon earlier. Are you even really planning on entering the Olympics?" 

He gripped my shoulder. "You've been a doll, Meg. But I've been given another chance, and that includes another chance with Angelina." He opened the door. A blonde woman with boobs twice the size of her head and bright blue eyes stood on the other side.

Angelina smiled, and once she spotted me, giving her the glare of absolute death, her smile faded into a frown. "I thought she wasn't supposed to be here." 

Ambrose opened the door just enough he could squeeze out of it, waving at me. "Let's go, Angie. Take care of yourself, Meg." 

Fuming, I kicked the door shut. It fell halfway off its hinges, and I stared at it. Some small part of me wished Ambrose would come back. Tell me it was all part of some elaborate joke. I'd say, "Haha, you idiot. You really got me there." 

But no. 

I beat my palm against my forehead. "I was the idiot here. How could I be so stupid?" 

Wrapping my arms around myself, I looked around the quiet hovel. The bed we'd made love on was the same place he would've died. I grimaced and looked away with a hiss. 

If only I could forget him. Forget he ever existed. That we ever shared life together. That he ever...left me. 

Throwing on the hood of my cloak, I ran out the door and made my way back to the alchemist. Maybe she had something I could take to suppress memories. Fighting back the tears trying to force their way out, I stopped in the middle of the square. Desperation was becoming a habit. It didn't look good on a gal like me.


	4. Be Sure to Tip Your Boatman

I pinched my eyes shut, already hating myself, and continued to the alchemist. 

My hand pressed against the door, ready to walk in, but I paused when I heard the sound of a man's voice shouting.

"That wasn't the deal, Bev." 

I gasped, covering my mouth with a hand. 

Hades. 

Opening the door slowly, I reached a hand up to keep the bell from ringing.

"The deal..." Hades rubbed his temples. "Was you give me 'clientele'--" He did air quotes with each hand. "And I get you the ungettable Cantarella. Capiche?" 

Bev, the alchemist, crossed her thin arms and stuck her pointy nose in the air. "Giving you clientele as you called them requires them to be dead. I can't always guarantee that'll happen."

Hades blinked his large eyes. "Whattaya talking about? You literally have an entire shelf of ingredients meant to kill people. How is this so hard to understand?"

I slid the hood from my cloak, approaching them and clearing my throat. 

Hades glanced at me. "Hey. Lord of the Underworld. How ya doin'?" He turned his head back to Bev and then did a double-take. "Wait. Meg?" 

Bev sniffed the air. "I told you. There are no refunds." 

"I'm not here for a refund. I'm here for something else." I frowned. 

"Why aren't you doing the horizontal tango with your newly not sick Muscle Head?" Hades jutted his thumb at the door. 

I lifted my chin, not making eye contact with him. "He left me." My jaw tightened. "For another woman." 

Hades' eyes grew larger than they already were. "Wow! I gotta tell ya. I did not see that coming." 

And he thought I did?

"Could you give us a minute? I need to ask the alchemist for something." I shifted my eyes at him. "Alone."

"Now, wait a minute." He made a time-out gesture with his hands.

Bev froze with one of her fingers halfway up her nose. Time stopped around us. 

"Just because it didn't work out with the idiot, doesn't mean you're not still obligated to our little deal," Hades said, waving a finger in my face.

"Are you serious?" My sinuses stung as I fought back tears.

"As a heart attack, I'm afraid." He waved his hand, and the glowing contract appeared in front of me. His yellow eyes peered over the top, and he pointed at my name scrolled on the bottom. "That IS your signature, correct? Love the little heart over the 'e' by the way. Nice touch." A villainous grin slid over his lips.

I growled and slapped my hand through the magical paper, making it fade away. "Then make me forget him. You can do that, right?" 

He puckered his lips, glancing skyward before shaking his head. "No. Fraid not. But listen, maybe it's a good thing if you don’t forget."

"Why? Why would I want to remember being humiliated and betrayed?"

He shrugged. "So it doesn't happen again? Look. I've been around something like a gajillion years, seen trillions of mortals. And guys like him? They're a dime a dozen, babe." 

"I sold. My. Soul. For him." I wrapped my arms around myself as my bottom lip began to quiver.

Hades trailed a hand over the blue flame on his head. "Yeah. Not sure ANY mortal's worth that. Ya got heart, kid. I'll give ya that." 

"You're the one who offered it," I spat.

Hades floated over to me, pressing a hand over his chest. "It's what I do. I make deals. Divide the dead. Make sure the dead stay dead. I'm an open book, sweetcheeks. A 'Take It or Leave It' kinda god." 

I sighed and dropped my face in my palms, sobbing. 

"Look uh--why don't you schlep on down to the Underworld with me, eh? You get used to the smell. Honest." 

Sniffling, I lifted my head. "The Underworld? With you?" 

"Did I stutter?" He steepled his fingers. "Unless, of course, it'd ruin what you got goin' on up here." 

If a lot meant not being able to afford my humble hovel anymore, then I was positively drowning in it. 

"Come on. Whattaya say? And to show there are no hard feelings, I'll even shave off a year off your sentence." 

My jaw dropped. "You'd...do that?" 

His eyes shifted. "Ya got tossed a crummy hand. I'm not a complete asshole." He rubbed his chin as if thinking over his words. "Most of the time." 

"Th--thank you?" I said, squinting one eye. 

Hades shivered. "You're...wel...come?" He shook his head. "Okay. Okay. Getting way too touchy-feely." 

He wriggled his fingers in front of Bev, unfreezing her long enough to roar in her face. His eyes bulged, and the blue flame of his hair turned orange, traveling down his arms. Bev shrieked and passed out.

Hades blew out a breath, returning to the calmer demeanor of his blue hair. "Whew. Much better."

My shoulders slumped, and I sighed. "Fine."

Hades looked behind him one way then the other as if there were anyone else here. "Pardon?" 

"I'll go to the Underworld with you," I said, my tone sounding beyond defeated. 

It didn't matter anymore. One year. I could do it. Three-hundred and sixty-five days.

He gave a sinister grin and snapped his fingers. In a puff of smoke, I appeared in darkness. The smell of sulfur and mildew permeated the air. My heart thumped against my chest. 

"You didn't even give me time to pack," I mumbled.

He chuckled. "Oh, yeah? What were you going to pack? An extra pair of sandals and some sunblock? It's the Underworld, sweetheart, not climbing Mount Olympus."

I hugged my cloak around me, somehow too hot and chilly all at once.

Hades held his hand out, and a ball of fire floated from his palm. He drifted past me. "Right this way." 

My sandals slapped against the moist walkway as I followed him. Wails and cries echoed off the stone walls. The thought of what was happening to them made me grimace. 

Hades' face suddenly dipped into my line of vision. 

I yelped.

"Those are wandering souls in Styx, by the way. You thought it was Tartarus, didn't you?" He elbowed me in the shoulder. "Eh? Admit it. You thought I was going to make you camp in Fort Torture." 

"I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind."

He smirked, and we continued on our way. Leading me up dozens of stone steps, I paused once we reached the top. Propping myself against a wall with one hand, I bent forward, catching my breath. 

"Looks like someone needs some cardio," Hades exclaimed. 

I narrowed my eyes. "Some of us don't have portable smoke to float around on." 

"Astute observation," he replied with a toothy grin. 

"This is your cell--I mean room." He laughed and hit his palm against his forehead. "Freudian slips, ya know?"

I glared at him as I walked past and into the room. It looked like any other bedroom I'd seen except the vast size. You could easily fit seven of my hovels in it. 

A chubby red demon with horns and a skinny blue one with a long pointy nose appeared in swirls of color. I yelped yet again and jumped back. 

"Pain, Panic, this is Meg. Meg, Pain & Panic, my demonic minions," Hades said, nonchalantly flailing his hand between us. 

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance a darling mademoiselle," the blue one, Panic, said in a bow of flourish.

The red one, Pain, stepped forward. "I--" he started but froze when he farted. "Nevermind." His tail swept between his legs, and he played with the tip as he waddled backward.

"Your first act of servitude is to bath these two. They reek," Hades said with a sneer.

Panic lifted his arm and sniffed. His toes curled, and he fell backward. 

"You want me to bathe these two?" I put a hand on my hip.

Hades looked from left to right. "Yuh, huh. Have fun with that." He disappeared, and the ominous sound of the door locking echoed off the walls.

Pain sat back on his tail, wiggling his hooved feet at me. "Don't forget to scrub between my toes."

I groaned, rubbing my forehead. 

Three-hundred and sixty-five days.


	5. Dealing with a Death God

“What do you two do all day? Raid landfills and dance through back alleyways?” I asked with a grimace, plucking a half-eaten gyro from one of Pain’s fat folds. The smell of curdled tzatziki sauce made me gag, and I threw the food across the room. 

Panic sat in the tub water, picking his wide nostrils with a gnarled finger. “I do believe we are minions to the Lord of the Underworld. What haven’t we done?” 

“Star in a musical?” Pain asked, gathering the soap suds under his chin like a beard. 

I leaned my elbow on the edge of the tub and propped my chin in my hand. “Well, you certainly haven’t starred in one.” 

We all looked in the same direction and winked. 

A flash of orange fire burst in the middle of the room. 

“Why is it so difficult for mortals to realize they are born, they live, and they DIE?!” Hades screamed, flames shooting from his head and shoulders. 

Pain and Panic yelped, splashing water from the tub as they scurried off, leaving a soaked trail on the stone floor. 

I wiped the water from my face with a flick of the wrist. Standing up with my arms folded, I watched Hades clench his fists at his sides. His chest pumped up and down. He snarled at the floor as if it gave him the stank eye. 

“Bad day at the office?” I asked, arching a brow. 

His fists unclenched when his yellow eyes landed on me. His gaze turned to the tub, and he pointed. “Did you actually bathe them?” 

I narrowed my eyes. “You ordered me to.” 

“I mean sure,” he started, pausing to rub his chin. “I figured you’d, you know, refuse a couple of times, I’d remind you about the deal, you’d tell me you hated me and eventually do it.” 

“The night is still young,” I spat, glaring at him. 

He waved a hand at the tub, making it disappear. “Forget it.” 

I shifted my eyes. “Forget what, exactly? I did as you asked. Do you think it’s easy for someone like me to take orders? No less from the person I stupidly sold my soul to for petty reasons?” 

Hades floated back and forth before stopping to pinch the bridge of his nose with closed eyes. “I’m stressed. I can’t think straight.” 

“Well, don’t take it out on me. I’m just another one of your minions, remember?” I turned my back on him, flicking my hair. “And what do you have to be stressed about? This Kingdom not big enough for you?” 

“Are you—” He appeared behind me, slowly leaning to the side so he could stare at my profile. “Are you saying you think my life down here is some sorta cakewalk?” 

“No. But you have your escape from the other gods. Isn’t that like some twisted kind of paradise for you?” I kept my face forward, eyeing him sidelong. 

He rolled his eyes and trailed a hand through the blue fire on his head. “Say, I have an idea. Your so good with bathing, why not give me one while you’re at it?” A devilish grin spread over his lips, and he snapped his fingers. 

A black tub with clawed feet appeared between us. Steam wafted from the water already inside. 

“You can’t be serious,” I huffed.

He moved his face directly in front of mine with narrowed eyes. “You keep questioning my commitment with my words. Let me make something very clear, sweetgums. You will never come across a god as serious as the guy who deals with dead people for a living. Understand?” 

My throat constricted, and I nodded, leaning away from him. 

“Good.” He snapped his fingers again. 

He let out a moan from behind me. I slowly turned on my heel, meeting with the sight of him sans robe and sinking into the water of the tub. He propped his arms on the edges and closed his eyes with a sigh.

Clasping my hands together and holding them against my chest, I took tentative steps. A breath hitched in my throat. I wasn’t sure what I expected to be under the God of the Underworld’s robes, but aside from his pale gray skin color, he was muscular, toned, and chiseled. 

One of his yellow eyes popped open. “What’s the holdup?” 

“Nothing,” I clipped, snapping my gaze away from his half-naked body poking out from the water. 

“You can start by rubbing my head. I feel a migraine the size of a Titan brewing.” He closed his eye and leaned back, resting his neck on the edge of the tub. 

I gulped, making my way behind him. Holding my hands out, I paused on each side of his head. 

How had I gotten myself into this again?

With a grimace, I pressed my fingers against his temples. You’d think his skin would feel like sandpaper or canvas, but no. Most of it was smooth with callused patches here and there. 

“I’m not going to break. Put a little oomph into it, huh?” He said, not bothering to open his eyes. 

I gritted my teeth and pressed harder, attempting to force my focus anywhere but on the tub water. Or worse yet, what was in the water. 

“You should be petrified of me. And yet here you are, massaging my head,” Hades mumbled. 

“Petrified of you? Why? Because you burst into flames now and again?” 

He smirked. “Not afraid I’ll catch you on fire? I can, you know.” 

“You can’t do anything to me that hasn’t been pre-ordained by The Fates.” I shook my head and found my fingers traveling to the back part of his skull. 

The blue color of his fire hair intensified when my fingertips traced through it. 

“You got more brains than most mortals,” he said, peeking one eye open to look at me. 

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I half-smiled. 

He shrugged. “Take it however you want.” 

“Look. I learned a long time ago not to judge a story by its parchment.” 

“I told you before. With me, what you see is what you get.”

I lifted my hands and sat back on my haunches. “And I say you’re full of centaur dung.” 

His eyes flew open, and he sat up, twisting his torso to glare at me. “What?”

“You heard me.” I folded my arms. 

He pointed at himself. “I didn’t always look like this.” 

The smugness in my expression melted away, and I let my hands drop to my sides. “What did you just say?” 

He shook his head. “Go back to your room, Meg. Wallowing in one’s self-pity is a solo gig.” 

“Wait, I—” 

He flicked his hand at me, and I appeared back in my room. Leaping for the door, I snarled as I turned the knob. Locked. 

I slapped my hand against the wood as if it’d make any difference before slamming my back into it and sliding to the floor. 

One thing was for sure: The King of the Underworld infuriated me. But this gal had a fire of her own.


	6. Envy is a Monster of Green

It was a rare day. Hades inexplicably disappeared without locking me in my room. I’d hardly know what to do with myself. Said not me ever.

I scurried down the hallway, continually glancing behind me like he’d pop in at any moment. Breezing past an open door, I spied Pain & Panic out of the corner of my eye and backpedaled.

They were standing on top of a table with wooden figures, picking them up, and giving different voices for each.

“What are you two knuckleheads up to?” I asked, squinting at them with my arms crossed.

They both froze with figures in their hands, eyes wide as oranges.

“Uh,” Pain started, shifting his eyes to the figurine in his hand before snapping it behind his back. “Nothing.”

Panic threw the figures on the floor. His right eye twitched, and his feet turned inward.

“Oh, really?” I asked, sauntering my way inside. “Sure, doesn’t look like nothing.”

Panic kicked Pain in the shin.

I swiped one of the figures from Pain’s hand. He yelped.

Running my thumb over the wood, I narrowed my eyes at the familiar shape. “Is this…a titan?”

“What makes you say that?” Panic asked, twiddling his fingers against each other.

I raised a brow. “Hm. The fact this one looks like ice, that one looks like melting lava, and let me guess…the one on the floor looks like a big fat rock?”

They both laughed nervously, shifting their eyes at each other.

Pain scratched the back of his head. “It’s uh…chess.”

“Yes!” Panic nodded enthusiastically. “That’s right. We were playing chess.”

The table had a map of Greece laid out on it, Mount Olympus drawn above it.

“Don’t you need squares to play chess?” I tossed the figure onto the table, placing one hand on my hip.

“Not us. We’re smart enough not to need them,” Pain said, lifting his chin.

Panic rolled his eyes and dropped his face in his hand.

I slapped my hands on the table and leaned forward, staring death daggers into the two demon minions. “What is going on? Tell me.”

They both jumped and hugged each other, trembling.

“The boss would kill us,” Pain cried out.

I narrowed my eyes and grabbed an ear from each, yanking them toward me. “What do you think I will do?”

Panic shrieked, and Pain wailed.

“Okay, okay!” Pain said, his shoulders hunching forward.

Panic shook his head back and forth, his large yellow eyes begging Pain.

“The boss has some big elaborate plan to release the titans,” Pain rattled off and winced.

My heart fell to my feet. I let go of them, staring down at the map on the table.

“He’s…what?” I asked, my voice small and barely audible.

“Heh. I’m sure it’s all talk,” Panic said in a…well, panic.

I narrowed my eyes. “Is he out of his mind?”

Pain and Panic glanced at each other sidelong. “Yes?” They both replied.

Growling under my breath, I turned away, storming for the door.

“Hades!” I bellowed, prowling to the hallway.

“Oh my Zeus, oh my Zeus, oh my ZEUS,” Panic stammered behind me.

“Hades!” I cried out again, pushing open every door I passed.

The sound of sizzling smoke echoed behind me.

“Normally, I don’t answer some mortal call, but there’s something about the way you say my name,” Hades said.

I turned on my heel, gazing at him casually leaning against the wall. Clenching my fists at my sides, I strode toward him. “You plan to unleash the Titans?”

His once amused expression turned villainous, his eyes narrowing into slits. “Pain. Panic.”

They appeared in front of me with their tails curled around them, shivering.

I scooped them behind me with my arm. “No. Don’t bring them into this. I would’ve found out eventually.”

“Fair point.” He rubbed his chin. “Yes. I plan to release the Titans.”

His words chilled me to the bone. My jaw fell open, and I shook my head. “Why? They’d bring devastation to thousands of people.”

“A few sacrifices to serve the greater good.” He shrugged and flicked his wrist like batting away a fly.

My chest heaved. “The greater good? Why are you doing this, Hades?”

“Do you have any idea what Zeus did to me?” He floated closer, bending over to bring our noses a breath apart.

I folded my arms. “I seem to recall a story of him saving you and your brother from being Cronus food. He made himself king. Gave Poseidon the seas and you,” I poked him in the chest. He glanced down before bringing his gaze back to mine. “The Underworld.”

Hades looked off in the distance, giving a slow blink. “That pretty much sums it up.”

“Then, why?” I re-emphasized, staring up at him with confused eyes.

Hades growled and turned away, dragging a hand through his flaming hair. “He sits up there in his castle in the clouds loved by everyone, pretending to be something he’s not, and everyone worships every scrap of dirt he walks on.”

“By Hera,” I mumbled. My eyes widened, and I let my arms fall slack at my sides. “You’re jealous.”

In a flash, he was in front of me again, the orange flames bursting from his head and shoulders, making my hair fly behind me. “You can’t even begin to understand. Don’t. Try. To.”

I’d be lying if I said he didn’t scare me even a little, but I fought back the urge to shudder physically. “I’ll have no part of this.”

The skin above his eyes rose. “Oh, really?” He snapped his fingers, and the glowing contract appeared between us. “Do you need to reread this?”

I waved my arms through it with a snarl. “I know what it says.”

“Obviously, not my dear Nutmeg because it does not, I repeat not specify what you’d be doing for me as my servant.” He lowered his head, brushing his knuckles across my cheek. “Therefore, if I say you’re going to help unleash the Titans. You’ll say, ‘What time?’”

I gulped. “No.”

“No?” His face fell. “Fine. Six months added back to your sentence.”

I gasped, shaking my head frantically. “You can’t do that.”

“Can’t I?” He floated backward, folding his arms and flicking something away with his forefinger and thumb. “Nine months.”

I let out a mix between a snarl and a scream out of frustration. “I’m going to my room.”

“You’re already there, sweetcheeks,” he responded with a glare, snapping his fingers.

I was back in my room, staring at the locked door. Slapping my hand against the wood, I screamed again and pressed my forehead against the coolness of the frame.

“Meg?” Panic’s small voice asked from behind me.

I peeked over my shoulder. Pain and Panic were both there, hesitantly moving closer with forlorn expressions.

“We uh—wanted to check on you,” Pain whispered, playing with the tip of his tail.

“Just go away,” I whispered back.

“But—” Panic lifted a hand at me.

“Go away,” I repeated.

They both frowned and disappeared.


	7. Devil With The High Heels On

Three days. I’d been locked in my room for three whole days. Was it part of his plan? Make me get swallowed up in my boredom until I drove myself nuts?

I stared at the ceiling, laying on my back with all four limbs stretched to each corner. I’d reached a new low, resorting to counting the cracks in the ceiling.

Smoke swirled in the middle of the room, followed by crackles and pops. “I’ve got a job for you. Some guy who thinks he can avoid me. Got a real Sisyphus complex if you get my drift,” Hades said with a smirk.

I sat up like the rising dead, narrowing my eyes. “You’ve kept me in here for three straight days and show up barking orders like it never happened?”

“I’m sorry,” he started, floating over to the side of the bed with a devious glare to rival my own. “Did you think when I invited you down to the Underworld was so we could chat and play checkers? No. It’s because it’d make it more convenient to boss you around.”

I folded my arms, sticking my nose in the air. “I think you’d kill to play checkers.”

“Come again?” He arched a brow and did a slow blink.

“There are times where you wish you could be normal. Admit it. That’s why you’re so jealous of Zeus.”

He snarled and turned away. “I need you to distract the guy long enough for me to pop in, grab him, and drag him back to Tartarus. How he got past Cerbie still butters my baguette.”

And there he went ignoring my claims again. I’d make him crack eventually.

“Cerbie?” I bit back a smile.

He stared at me wide-eyed as if he didn’t realize he’d said it out loud. “Chop, chop, Meg. Make me proud.”

He snapped his fingers, and I appeared in the middle of a marketplace—dozens of people bustled around me.

“How am I supposed to know who he is?” I asked out loud to no one in particular.

A catcall whistle sounded from behind me, answering.

With a deep sigh, I slid on my best “come-hither” face and slowly turned on my heel to face him.

“Well, hello, gorgeous,” the man said. He had a cloak disguising his features, but he was as wide as a barn, his voice deep and husky.

I put a hand on my hip. “Hey, yourself.” Crossing one foot over the other, I sauntered over to him, exaggerating the sway of my hips with every other step.

“Did it hurt?” He asked, rubbing his gloved hands together greedily.

I winced. “Did…what hurt?”

“When you fell from Olympus.”

Internally…I vomited.

Providing the most girlish giggle I could, I traced my finger down his cloth-covered arm. “You must be so popular with the ladies with charm like that.”

“I’ve been off the circuit for a while. It looks like I came back at the right time,” he snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me against him.

I pushed my palms against his chest, trying to pry myself away from the cracked, plump lips nearing my neck.

Like a dark knight on a black horse, Hades appeared beside us. His face lowered until it was halfway in the man’s hood.

“Boo,” he said, his lips curling into a devilish half-smile.

The man released me, and I backpedaled. The once confident giant mortal reduced to a blubbering idiot at the sight of the god of the Underworld.

“No. No. I’m not ready. You can’t,” he stammered, shaking his head and shielding his face with his arms.

Orange fire surged over the back of Hades’ neck and shoulders. “Funny how you seem to think you have a say in this…mortal.”

The way he spat “mortal” sent a chill down my spine.

“I’ll just escape again,” the man said, standing up straight.

He had to have cajones the size of melons. His fate was quite literally in Hades’ hands.

Hades laughed—a chuckle escaping from a deep, dark hole within his chest. “A dozen burning chains wrapped around you for eternity says otherwise.” He blew out a puff of smoke, sending the man’s hood flying off.

The right side of the man’s face had scarred claw marks. Human nails.

“Buh-bye, Adonis. Don’t let the flames nip you in the ass on your way out,” Hades said with a wink.

The man disappeared, his howls and shrieks echoing off nearby stalls.

My heart thudded against my rib cage. I should’ve been shocked at what I’d just witnessed—repulsed by Hades’ lack of bedside manner. But I wasn’t.

Hades slowly turned to face me with a grin bordering on devilish and…dare I say, sultry.

“That, my dear Meg, was impressive. You’re a regular sex kitten. Who knew?” He pressed the fingertips on each hand together, floating in front of me with the same wicked smile.

“I can use what the gods gave me when I want to, sure. Please tell me you’re not planning on exploiting it.” I gulped, peering up at him.

He moved closer, tracing his fingers over my cheek. “Oh, my sweet, how could I not?”

Our gazes locked, and my throat constricted.


	8. A Mortal's Beauty

Poof.

I appeared in my bedroom.

Another day, another schmuck duped back into the Underworld from my feminine wiles, followed by Hades literally scaring them to death. It’d become a weekly ritual.

I suppose he could be asking me to do worse things. At least he always showed up before any of the guys tried to touch me—always in the nick of time.

I flopped onto the bed with a deep sigh.

In a swirl of blue smoke, Panic dipped the bed near my arm. He tapped his fingertips together frantically.

“What’s wrong, Meg?”

“Oh, bud, isn’t it fairly obvious?”

When he didn’t answer, I lifted my head to see him nervously shifting his eyes, attempting to formulate a response.

My head slammed into the pillow again. “I’m a mortal woman trapped in a deal with the god of the Underworld. I saw my life going differently. I really did.”

Pain showed up amidst red swirls, tripping over an imaginary rock, and somersaulting into my hip with a yelp.

I raised a brow. “Where were you? You two normally show up as a package deal.”

“Uh…” Pain said, scratching his head. “Torturing someone.”

I narrowed my eyes and sat up on my elbows. “Who?”

“Adonis,” Panic added before his eyes went wide as if he let it slip and didn’t mean to.

“Adonis.” I tapped my finger against my lips. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

Pain uncomfortably groaned before he nuzzled against my arm. “Hey, I noticed your door is unlocked now. That’s new.”

I sighed and sat up, idly scratching the top of Pain’s head. “A lot of good it does me. What’s there to do around here except roast marshmallows on one of a dozen bursting flames?”

“You could…” Panic scurried from one end of the bed to the other with a finger up in the air. “Read a book?”

“Bor-ing.” Pain stuck his tongue out and rolled his eyes.

I’d only half heard them, lost in thought, staring at the orange flames flickering in the fireplace. “He still plans to attack Olympus, doesn’t he?”

Hades had been mum about it since our little…disagreement.

Panic frowned, curling his tail around him, and sitting against me on the opposite side from Pain.

“Yes,” Panic whispered.

My chest tightened. “And there’s nothing I can do. Just sit back and watch it happen.”

Pain gave me his puppy dog eyes, resting his chin on my lap.

“You could try talking to him?” Panic shrugged.

I half-smiled. “I appreciate the suggestion, little guy, but I’ve already tried that, remember?”

“I mean really talk to him.” Panic rubbed his toes together.

Pain lifted his head, glaring at Panic. “What are you going on about?”

“Look, when it boils down, the boss isn’t that bad,” Panic added, his left eye twitching.

“Are we talking about the same guy?” Pain asked.

I eyed Panic quizzically. “Go on.”

“He won’t say it, but I’ve seen it before. There are times where all he wants…is to feel normal.”

My stomach did a strange flutter.

“We’re just two minion demons, but you, Meg—” He looked up at me with a toothy grin. “You’re mortal. Talk to him.”

I blinked several times, mulling over his words. “That…actually…makes a lot of sense.”

“Really?” Panic’s tail wagged. “Why, thank you.”

I patted both their heads before sliding off the bed. “No time like the present, right? Is he here?”

They both nodded enthusiastically in unison.

“Right.” I gave a curt nod. “I’ll just…go over there.”

My hand folded over the doorknob.

“Hey Meg,” Pain said.

I glanced over my shoulder. They bunched the blanket up to their chins.

“Can we stay here?”

A warm smile tugged at my lips. “Knock yourself out.”

As I slipped out into the hallway, I heard a thud behind me, followed by Panic, saying, “She didn’t mean literally.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, going through my head exactly what I planned to say to him.

Normal. Be normal. What was normal anymore? What was normal to a god-king?

A deep voice hummed a song I didn’t recognize from a nearby room. I pressed a hand against the ajar door, slowly pushing it open, hoping it didn’t creak.

Hades sat in an armchair, rubbing his temples and…humming.

My stomach did that weird flip again.

With my heart racing, I leaned against the doorway and folded my arms. “Hey.”

Hades froze and slowly turned in his chair. His expression melted once his eyes landed on me. “Uh…hey.”

I kept a neutral face, trying to mask the nerves bubbling. “I was in the hallway. Thought I’d...swing by, and I don’t know…chat?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Chat?” A smirk tugged at his lips. “Because we have so much to talk about.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” I moved by the chair, sitting on the arm. “I’m sure the strong, powerful, King of the Underworld, has plenty of stories hidden in his toga.” I tugged on the collar of his dark robes.

His gaze dropped to my hand and then shot back to my face. “Are you…using your sex kitten routine on me?”

I gave a mock gasp, clapping a hand over my chest. “Me? I would never.”

His eyes grew heavy, and his lip curled. “Continue.”

“A gal can get lonely down here, you know?” I leaned forward, trailing my hand through the blue flame of his hair, somehow knowing it wouldn’t hurt me. “Talking to two little demons day in day out can get boring. I crave…adult…conversation.”

He moved forward until his nose almost brushed against mine. His smile faded. “I’m still releasing the Titans, Meg.”

A breath hitched in my throat. I growled and pushed away, standing with a hand on my hip. “Why, Hades? Why?”

He pressed his back into the chair, tracing the contour on the armrest I’d left behind. “We’ve talked about this.”

I let out a deep sigh.

He appeared behind me, his hands lightly gripping my arms. It sent an electric shock all the way down to my toes.

“We could, of course…come to some kind of…agreement?” He said, lowering his mouth to my ear.

I turned around to face him, pointing a finger. “No. No more deals.”

“Worth a shot.” He chuckled, removing one of his hands, but strangely keeping one resting on my shoulder.

I gazed up at him, my throat tightening. “And there’s nothing I can do stop you, is there? I’m powerless.”

“No…” He started trailing off as he peered down at me, his eyebrows cinching together in confusion. “There’s…not.” His words hadn’t convinced me, and judging from the bewildered look on his face, he hadn’t even convinced himself.

My lips parted, and I gulped. “It’s settled then. Good—good night.” I brushed past him, making a beeline for the door.

“Good…night,” he replied before I left, his voice distant and flittering.

I pressed my back against the hallway wall, dropping my face in my hands.

This couldn’t be possible…could it?


	9. Careless Whispers

I stumbled through the portal Hades created, taking us back to the Underworld. Smoothing my hair, I let out a deep sigh.

“It’s the same thing day in, day out, Hades. Distract the unknowing mortal, yank him back to the Underworld. Rinse and repeat.”

Hades rolled his shoulders. “You’ve been given a purpose here, Sweetcheeks. You should be thrilled.”

“A purpose?” I rolled my eyes. “I’d have thought you would’ve figured out I’m capable of more.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Alright. You know what? What would you be doing up there if it weren’t for our deal, hm? Tell me. I’m dying to hear it.”

I clucked my tongue against my teeth. “I don’t know. Maybe I’d have taken up pottery or something.”

His face fell and he gave a slow blink. “Pottery? You?”

“Yeah. Why not?” I made pottery forming gestures with my hands. “A gal’s gotta get her hands dirty now and again, right?”

A villainous grin pulled at his lips. “Fine.” He waved his hand and a pottery wheel appeared between us. “Fifty pots by the end of the day. Something to spruce up the place.”

My lips parted. “Are you serious?”

He gripped my shoulders, leading me over to the stool and gave a light push until I was sitting. “Very.” His lips hovered near my ear. “And make sure to pour your soul into it, Meg.”

“I—” My throat tried, stealing the words away.

His fingertips graze across my shoulders as he floated toward the exit. “And you’ll find you literally can’t move until they’re done. Have fun.” He half-smiled, waved, and disappeared.

I rolled my eyes and went to stand up. My butt felt like it was glued to the stool. Grimacing, I tried again. Nothing.

“How do I get myself into these situations? How?” I yelled at Mount Olympus, shaking my hands at the skies.

Hours went by and I managed to make three pots. If you could call them pots. They looked more like sad, warbly dishes, but he said nothing about them being functional. Clay coated my hands and arms and I blew out a breath, wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead with the one clean spot on the back of my hand.

“Good mornin’, Meg,” Panic said as he appeared, yawning and scratching his belly.

“Panic! Please tell me you know how to make pots.” It came out more as a desperate plea.

His expression turned quizzical as he turned, noticing the wheel in front of me. “What the—since when are you into pottery?”

I blew out a breath, sending stray hair out of my eyes. “Since about three hours ago when Hades took my words in the literal sense and cursed me to this stool until fifty pots are done.”

He opened his mouth and then closed it again. “That sounds like him.”

“Whattaya say, lil guy? Help me out?”

He nodded vigorously and hopped onto the wheel.

Who knew an Underworld demon would be so skilled at pottery? Between the two of us, it only took another four hours to make all remaining pots. As I rested the fiftieth pot on the floor, I hesitantly tried to stand up, and to my relief, was able to.

Blowing out a breath, I smiled down at my miniature blue hero. “Thanks, blue. I couldn’t have done this without you.” I kissed the top of his head.

His cheeks blushed and his foot did a quick pitter patter against the ground. “Aw shucks, Meg.”

“Well, well, well, look at you, working the system,” Hades’ voice boomed. He lurked in a darkened corner with his arms crossed, his yellow eyes holding a fierce glow.

Panic yelped and disappeared.

“You never said I couldn’t get help. You said fifty pots.” I raised a brow.

He grinned, floating behind me, and dragging a finger over my neck. It sent an odd tingle down my spine. His hand splayed, fire blasting from it, coating the pots in flames, instantly hardening them.

I bit my lip and launched forward, scooping one of the pots in my hand. Without overthinking it, I hurled one at his head. He ducked and the pot crashed into the wall.

His large eyes widened, morphing into a glare as he slowly stood up, staring at me. “I’m not sure whether to be furious with you or strangely attracted to the fact you just threw a pot at the God of the Underworld.”

I let out a shrill of frustration. “You make the deal with me and you have me do the most absurd things. It infuriates me.”

“Oh?” He floated closer. “Considering what I could do, what I have done for other mortal deals, you should feel so lucky.” The last word slid from his tongue like a serpent’s hiss.

“Lucky?” I guffawed. “Do you treat everyone like this that you bring down here?”

His hands balled into fists at his sides, arms shaking. Suddenly he was in front of me, slamming me against the nearest wall. He put a hand on each side of my head, caging me in. “I’ve never brought anyone else down here.”

I stared up at him, my heart racing into a frantic gallop. “What?” It was barely above a whisper.

He dipped his head like he was about to kiss me but turned away with a snarl.

I touched my neck, keeping myself pressed against the wall as it seemed to be the only thing holding me up. He’d never brought anyone else down here? Why me?

“I could always keep to my word of the other little thing I said I’d ask you to do.” He kept his back to me and snapped his fingers.

My purple toga disappeared, replaced by a skimpy black ensemble. My entire back was exposed, stopping right above my butt crack. Two strips of fabric skirted over my breasts and between my legs, otherwise everything else was transparent.

“Isn’t this a bit overkill?” The words came out breathy.

He turned around to look at me, his face visibly stunned before turning devilish. He floated in front of me, his eyes unabashedly roaming over his creation. “You are overkill, Meg.”

I should’ve felt humiliated. Embarrassed how much of myself was exposed in front of him. So why did my spine feel like goo watching him ogle me?

“Do I have to dance with enthusiasm?” I purred.

He shook his head, still not bringing his gaze to my face. “I don’t even need you to dance. But I’m making this your official Underworld uniform.”

I arched my back, studying his reaction. He dragged a hand down his face and to my surprise, and admittedly disappointment, he turned away again.

“Brush up those come-hither eyes, Meg. I’m sending you to deal with a centaur tomorrow.” He kept his back to me as if looking at me in this get up anymore would entice him to do something.

“A centaur?” I folded my arms, but before I could ask anything else, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.


	10. Wonder Boy

Hades snapped his fingers, changing my Underworldly black attire into my normal purple toga. "The centaur's name is Nessus. And this will be a tad different than what I've asked you to do before."

I stretched my arms above my head. "How so?"

"I want him for my army. You'll be convincing him."

My face fell. "Your army? For what?"

Hades sighed. "Don't you get bored of asking the same question?"

"The Titans." I frowned, knowing by now it'd do no good to argue with him. It still left an empty pit feeling in my stomach.

"Time's a-wastin', Meg. Do me proud." He waved his hand, and I appeared in a thicket near a river and waterfall.

Rolling my shoulders, I spotted the centaur drinking water from the bank—blue, gray, huge, and ugly. Bile worked its way up my throat. I gulped it down, flicked my hair, and sauntered over to him.

"What's a gal got to do to get her back scrubbed around here?"

Nessus' head shot up, his yellow eyes widening and then softening when his gaze fell on my hip swivel. "Well, hello."

"I'm going to cut straight to the chase, Hooves. Hades wants you for his army." I crossed my arms, hoping, praying this oversized oaf didn't try any funny business.

"His army? Hm. And he sends a mortal woman to do his bidding?" His hooves beat against the dirt as he neared me, a wicked glint in his eye.

"It's a long story. Look, just agree to it, and we can both be on our merry way."

He ran a hand over the long black beard draping over his chest. "Hm. And what do I get in return?"

"Are you kidding?" I cocked a brow. "Did you hear what I said? The god of the Underworld himself wants you to fight for him. Isn't that enough?"

He smiled, showing rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Not by a long shot." He circled me, eyeing me up and down like a piece of meat.

My heart raced. Where in Tartarus was Hades? He normally showed up by now. "Nessus. Don't do anything stupid."

"Oh? Do you belong to someone?" He narrowed his eyes.

I gulped. "You got me there."

Maybe if I screamed, Hades would show up?

I screamed the girliest scream I could muster.

Still nothing.

One of Nessus' hands launched at me, and I dove, tripping into the river water.

"Not so fast, sweetheart," Nessus purred, wrapping his large hand around my torso and lifting me from the ground.

I growled. "I swear, Nessus, put me down or I'll—" Against my better judgment, I kicked him in the chest.

For a mere second, he looked shocked, and then his gaze turned predatory. "Oo, I like 'em fiery."

If Hades weren't death itself, I'd kill him. Positively kill him.

"Let go of me. This is your last warning," I snarled, flailing my arms at him.

He brought me to his face, and I shoved my palms against his nose.

"Halt," a random man's voice called out.

I turned my head with a raised brow.

He had red hair, blue eyes, muscles for days, and dressed like he thought he was a hero or something.

Was he out of his mind?

Nessus' grip tightened around me, making me short of breath. He bent forward, glaring at Wonder Boy here. "Step aside Two Legs."

"Pardon me good uh—" He gave the centaur a once over. "—sir. I'll have to ask you to release that young, uh—"

This kid had no clue what he'd just gotten in the middle of.

"Keep moving, Junior," I urged.

Hades will show up any…minute…now.

"But aren't you a damsel in distress?"

I rolled my eyes, prying at Nessus' fingers. "I'm a damsel." Grunt. "I'm in distress." Double grunt. "I can handle this." I smiled at him. "Have a nice day."

"Ma'am, I'm afraid you may be a little too close to the situation to realize—" He drew a sword, and Nessus backhanded him, sending him flying to the other side of the bank.

Idiot. Absolute idiot.

"A hero is only as good as his weapon," Wonder Boy muttered, searching the water for his sword, only to turn around with a fish in his grasp.

Nessus laughed, and I sulked with a sigh.

If Hades tried to build up the suspense, it was positively working.

Nessus punched him into a boulder, and I winced.

Did this kid ever give up? I had to give him an ounce of credit.

Suddenly Wonder Boy sprinted across the bank, slamming his head into Nessus' gut. Nessus went flying into the rock wall behind the waterfall. I fell in a slump into the river with a frustrated sputter, fairly certain I'd sprained an ankle. I sat up, coughing, my hair falling over my face.

Was this how a drowned rat felt?

"Gee, miss, I'm really sorry. That was dumb," Wonder Boy said, picking me up like I weighed nothing more than a feather and setting me on a tree branch.

I parted my hair and smirked at him. "Yeah."

As I wrung out my hair, I watched Wonder Boy continue to beat Nessus to a bloody pulp.

Was this guy for real?

After Nessus was sufficiently defeated and humiliated, Wonder Boy walked over to me, shyly rubbing the back of his neck. So innocent. So sweet. So naïve. It should've been traits in a man I paid attention to.

"Are you alright, miss—"

I flicked my hair in his face. "Megara. Friends call me Meg. At least they would if I had any friends. So, did they give you a name to go along with all those rippling pectorals?"

"Uh, I'm uh—"

I made him forget how to speak. It was borderline adorable. "Are you always this articulate?"

"Uh, Hercules." He cleared his throat. "My name's Hercules."

Bingo.

"Well, Herc, it's been a real sl—"

In a flash, I was back in the Underworld, back in the midnight ensemble. Hades sat on his throne, eating from a bowl that Panic held up. Pain was behind him, rubbing Hades' temples.

I clenched my fists at my sides. "Where were you? Have you ever been manhandled by a centaur? It's not ideal."

"What exactly happened up there? I thought you were supposed to convince the River Guardian to join Team Hades." A curl of smoke, emanating from his arm, wisped under my chin, floating me toward him. "I appear to be River Guardianless."

"I gave it my best shot. He made me an offer I had to refuse."

"Mm. I could add more time to your sentencing. How about giving that your best shot?" He grinned at me, his gaze burning.

I growled and swatted him away, turning my back on him. "Look, it wasn't my fault. It was this Wonder Boy, Hercules."

Panic yelped, sending the bowl flying.

Hades appeared in front of me, stalking forward until he had me pinned against the cave wall. Leaning one arm above my head, he sunk his face into mine. "What was that name…again?"

"Hercules."

Hades' blue hair ignited in a fit of orange, snarling, and turning to look at Pain and Panic.

"Wasn't that the name of the—" Pain started.

The two demons looked at each other and slapped their hands on their heads.

"Oh, my Zeus!" They both bellowed.

Hades' chest pumped up and down, and he dragged the two demons toward him. "Didn't you both tell me over a decade ago that you took care of him?"

I narrowed my eyes and rested a hand on Hades' forearm, stopping him from dragging the demons the rest of the way. "What's so important about this guy?"

"He, my dear Meg, is the son of my dearest brother, Zeus. And not of Hera's. Get my drift?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "An illegitimate half god?"

"I'm about to rearrange the cosmos, and the one being who could putz it all up is schlepping around very much alive?" Hades roared, flames igniting from his head and arms shooting in every direction.

I ducked with a grimace as one blazed over my head. Frightening how commonplace raging infernos were to me now.

"What's the big deal? The kid seemed like a pushover. Sweet. Innocent." I turned my back on him, a wicked grin pulling at my lips. "Burly." I peeked at Hades over my shoulder.

He narrowed his eyes and floated closer. "Do you actually like this guy?"

"Why not?" I whirled around with my hands on my hips. "He seems genuinely nice. His heart was in the right place."

Hades shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's everything you don't need."

I stepped forward, raising to the balls of my feet. "Are you trying to tell me you know what I need, Hades?"

His hand fell away from his face, and he peered down at me, bringing our lips closer together. He froze. His nose so close to mine, I could feel his breath over my cheek. "What you need, Meg is to help me get rid of him."

I smirked. "Suit yourself."

"I'm gonna sleep on it. But be prepared, because come tomorrow, we're putting an end to Wonder Boy."

I bit down on my lip, watching Hades float away. Hercules was the key to stopping the unleashing of the Titans. But something told me it had nothing to do with his strength.


	11. How Many Heads Does It Take to Kill a Hydra?

“Are we clear on the plan?” Hades asked, steepling his fingers.

I sighed and crossed my arms. “Pain & Panic will disguise themselves as kids, pretend to be trapped under a rock, and I’m to play the worried citizen.”

His lips slid into a villainous grin. “Bingo. Pain! Panic!”

They appeared in a swirl of red and blue and saluted Hades.

“Put on your best innocent tike faces. We gotta sell this if it’s going to work.” Hades’ eyes narrowed into slits.

They transformed into a skinny blonde-haired boy and a portly brown-haired one. A lump formed in my throat. They disappeared, off to play their part.

Hades floated closer to me, dragging the back of his knuckles over my cheek. When we’d first made this deal, his touch might’ve made me cringe, but now all it did was send shivers down my spine.

“Lure him there and then hide in the cave walls. Understand?”

I frowned. “Why? What are you going to do, Hades?”

He rested his hand on my shoulder, the look in his gaze bordering on concern. “Just do it. Capiche?”

“Yeah. Alright, fine.” I stared up at him as if I could telepathically convince him to stop it all.

He patted my shoulder. “Good girl. See you in a bit.”

He snapped his fingers, and I appeared in the middle of town. I wrapped my arms around myself, already feeling slimy for what I was about to do. Taking a deep breath, I cinched my brow and ran into the bustling crowds.

“Help! Someone, please help! There’s been a terrible accident!” I frantically grabbed one patron’s robes, followed by another.

It disturbed me how many people ignored me or straight up shoved me away. What if this really had been an accident? That the two boys trapped under the rock weren’t demons? Humanity was losing its way.

“Meg?” Hercules’ voice rang out.

I clapped a hand over my chest. “Oh, Wonder Boy. Thank Zeus. Please come quick. There are two boys trapped under a rock in the gorge. We have to hurry.”

He gave a curt nod. “Lead the way.”

I turned my back on him, pinching my eyes shut. Hades could throw anything at him, but I feared if Hercules could stop it.

As soon as we reached the gorge, Pain, and Panic, in children’s voices, wailed from the crack in the rock, claiming they couldn’t breathe.

Overkill, much?

Hercules ran over, slipped his hands under the rock, and after a few grunts, lifted the boulder that was a hundred times his size, and held it above his head.

Clearly, I underestimated exactly how strong he was.

“Jeepers, mister. You’re really strong,” Pain said as the two of them scrambled out.

“Just be careful next time, kids.”

“Oh, we will,” Panic chirped before the two of them ran off.

As Hercules hurled the boulder to the other side of the gorge, I remembered Hades’ warning. Clutching the top part of my dress, I backed away and climbed into the cave walls, leaving Herc alone.

Hades sat on a nearby rock, leaning casually, waiting to watch the show. Pain and Panic arrived, turning into their normal demonic selves.

“Jeepers, mister?” Panic said to Pain through a lisp.

Pain pressed a hand to his collar bone. “I was going for innocence, just as the boss asked, remember?”

“Excellent performance boys, I was really moved, but Meg…my, my—somehow you keep surprising me.” Hades cocked his head to one side.

I bit down on my lip, staring down into the gorge where Hercules was celebrating his heroism prematurely.

“Get outta there, you big lug, while you still can,” I mumbled.

Hades appeared behind me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “This is why I told you to get out of there.” He pointed.

A hydra even twice the size of the boulder Herc threw slithered from the darkness. My shoulders tensed, and Hades’ grip tightened on them.

I have no idea how he did it. Maybe it was the blood of Zeus running through his veins. Or something sappy like courage. But he defeated the hydra.

To say Hades was pissed would’ve been a gross understatement. For the next three weeks, I, Pain, and Panic sat around watching Hades send creature after creature to fight Hercules, and not one of them were able to beat him.

Hades growled, sending orange bursts of flame in every direction. “I can’t believe this guy. I throw everything at him, and it doesn’t even—”

The sound of Pain’s feet squeaking interrupted his tantrum.

Pain had on a pair of Hercules sandals.

“What. Are. Those?”

Pain swiveled his feet. “Um. I don’t know. I thought they were kind of—dashing?”

Hades closed his eyes and rubbed his temple, the other fist at his side shaking uncontrollably.

Leaping up, I slipped in between Pain and Hades, knowing Hades was about to explode.

“Hey, at least he’s wearing shoes, right?” I rested a hand on Hades’ forearm. “Besides, you do realize this is all your fault?”

Hades’ eyes flew open. “Excuse me?”

“All of this fame? Merchandise? Every cart in the marketplace whispering about the heroic Hercules? None of it would be happening if it weren’t for you giving him a reason to be heroic.”

He stared down at me, and his face softened, turning into an expression I’d come to associate with devious planning.

“Face it, Hades. He’s hitting every curve you throw at him.”

He gave a toothy grin, pulling me against him and trailing his finger from my shoulder blades to my lower back. “Or maybe…I haven’t been throwing the right curves at him.”

“No. Please.”

He traced his fingers down my arm, his eyes growing heavy. “He’s gotta have a weakness, my sweet. Everyone, gods included, has a weakness.”

A breath hitched in my throat.

“I’m through playing your little flirt.”

His hand splayed across my back, pulling me in tighter. “I think you’ll change your mind when you hear my offer.”

My heart raced.

“You give me the key to bringing down Wonder Boy, and I’ll give you the one thing you crave the most in the entire cosmos.” He lowered his mouth, lips pressing against my ear. “Your freedom.”

My eyelashes beat against his cheek. “This is that important to you?”

He leaned back, blinking rapidly. “Not the reaction I was expecting.”

“Hercules.” I pushed away from him. “Your Titan plan. All of it is so important to you over some petty dispute with Zeus that you’d give me up?”

Hades’ lips parted, and he stared at me wide-eyed.

“Forget it. Fine. I do this last task for you, and then we’re done here. No backing out. That’s what you want?”

He didn’t answer.

“Besides…this’ll give me a chance to spend some…quality time with him.” I swayed my hips and flashed as flirty of a smile as I could muster.

Hades’ hands balled into fists.

I sauntered over to him, flicking my hair in his face. “I might as well get to have a little fun in the process, right? All the other men you had me wine and dine for you were disgusting oafs, but Wonder Boy? Mm. Muscles, young, nice, and super super strong.”

“Strength is a dime a dozen amongst the gods. It’s a given. He ain’t special.”

I shrugged, pressing my back against his arm and pouting at him over my shoulder. “All of Greece seems to think otherwise. Thanks to you.”

He whirled me around to face him. “Get the information. I don’t care how you do it.”

“You sure?” I walked my fingers up his chest. “Even if I have to, oh, I don’t know, sleep with him?”

His lip twitched, and his nostrils flared. “Any. Way. Possible.”

I raised on the balls of my feet, bringing our faces inches apart. “Suit yourself…Hayd.”

His eyes softened, but he let me go.

I kept smiling until my back was to him, and it faded into a frown. There was no way I could be feeling like this. Love the god of the Underworld? It seemed suicidal.


	12. I Won't Say It...

I’d spent the entire day with Wonder Boy. Traipsing through the market, watching a play, talking over things that normal people talk about. The man was so strait-laced it almost made my teeth ache. It also made Hades’ request to find his weakness to kill him that much harder. It’s probably why I’d still yet to try even as night settled in and we made our way into the courtyard garden.

I wrapped my shawl around my shoulders with a sigh, hating myself more and more with each passing minute. A deal was a deal. Reaching the last step, I pretended to trip, knowing Mr. Hero would catch me, and so he did, giving me the googly eyes.

He was falling for me. I could see it in his eyes, his actions. It seemed like the entire universe tried to push us together, and I drove it back. The muses themselves whispered in my ear.

“Go to him.”

“What are you afraid of?”

“Go to Hercules.”

The problem was…they had the wrong “H.”

“Careful,” Herc said.

I forced my cheeks to blush. “Sorry. Weak ankles.”

“Well, maybe you better sit down.” He picked me up, resting me on a nearby stone bench.

I bit on my lip, going through potential dialogue in my head. “So, do you have any problems with things like this?” Raising my ankle to his face, I watched his expression dive into nerves that trumped even Panic.

If an ankle got him all jittery…

“Weak ankles, I mean?” I nudged him with my sandaled foot.

“Oh, no. Not really.” He politely pushed my leg away like it’d burn him and scooted backward.

I was beginning to doubt if this guy would know what to do with a woman even if she laid naked before him, ready, willing, and waiting.

“No, weaknesses?” I slid across the bench, leaning into him, ignoring the strap of my dress that’d fallen over my shoulder. “No trick knee? Ruptured…” I pressed my hand against his chest, squeezing my breasts together, all the while wishing I was anywhere else but here for far too many reasons to count. “Discs?”

His throat bobbed as he gulped, quickly pulling up the strap of my dress.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…was this guy for real?

A flash of smoke blasted behind me. A thick arm wrapped around my waist, and in an instant, I was back in the Underworld, standing before a very miffed King.

“What are you doing? I was this close to getting the information,” I yelled, flicking my wrist in the air.

Pain and Panic sneaked into the room through the cracked open door, crawling to a corner and staying out of sight.

Hades’ chest heaved up and down. “If I…didn’t…know…any better…I’d say you were seriously developing—” His fist shook violently at his side. “Feelings…for this guy.”

Got him.

“And if I was?” I curled my lips into a villainous half-grin, crossing my arms and turning my back on him.

He appeared in front of me. “A guy like him would douse your fire, Meg.”

“A guy like him? What? You mean, good, kind, decent?”

“Boring…mediocre,” he added, his gaze lighting on fire.

I stepped closer, trailing my finger up the front of his robe and hooking it in the opening at the top. “Mediocre?”

“A half-god.” His stare burned into me, thoughts of the power he possessed, exuded, driving me to the point of madness.

I threw my arms around his neck and planted my lips against his. At first, He tensed under my touch; arms splayed at the sides. But when I showed no signs of backing out on what I’d started, his hands slipped over my shoulder blades and lower back, pulling me closer against him.

The taste of ash and smoke coated my tongue as I poured everything into that kiss, ignoring the rough texture of his lips. He groaned into my mouth, pulling me tighter and tighter until he was bending me backward, holding me captive within his grasp.

It started as a deal made for all the wrong reasons, forced into imprisonment and slavery under the God of the Underworld’s plea. I never expected to find such a kindred spirit through him. Never dreamed I’d ever fall for one of the gods or that they’d have even a sliver of interest in me—a mere mortal.

But he saw me for me. And it didn’t matter to him. As his mouth claimed me with every swipe of his tongue, every nibble on my lip, he wanted me. And I loved him for it.

I love Hades.

Suddenly, the coarseness of his lips smoothed out. When he nipped at my lip, it wasn’t with pointed teeth but with…human-like ones.

I peeled away, flying my eyes open with a gasp. My hands clapped over my mouth, and I stared at him wide-eyed.

“Meg?” He still sounded like him.

It was him, but…now his once gray skin was bronzed and smooth. His eyes were of a golden-hue and so human-looking. So very, very human.

I stepped up to him again, tears welling in my eyes as I reached for his hair. Gone were the blue flames, replaced with midnight cerulean wavy tendrils, falling in a cascade down to his chest.

Hades’ brow furrowed, and he reached a hand to his face, his nails black and slightly pointed. His expression was a mix of confusion and terror. As his fingers touched his changed lips, his hair, his skin, he backed away, stumbling into a table behind him.

“Holy Tartarus,” Pain yelped.

Panic jumped up and down. “It actually worked!”


	13. A God of a Different Color

I stared at Hades and his human-like features. My hands were still clasped over my mouth and as many questions as I had, no words managed to squeak from my throat.

Hades turned away as if his appearance were ghastly. His brow furrowed at Pain and Panic. “What do you mean ‘it worked’?”

“Uhhh.” The two minion demons said in unison.

Hades prowled over to them, his long blue hair falling in shambles over his gaze.

“It’s been so long since you were normal. We thought, gee, maybe the boss would like to look like his old self again,” Pain said.

Panic held up a single finger. “Precisely. And then we saw the way you looked at Meg and—”

Hades’ glare melted away, replaced by an expression bordering on shock and confusion.

I finally let my hands fall at my sides and walked up to him, wrapping my fingers over his forearm.

“Meg,” he whispered, his yellow eyes shifting before he twisted away.

I pressed my palm against his warm cheek, turning his head to look at me. Blinking rapidly, I trailed my fingers through the blue tendrils of hair hanging in wisps over his face and shoulders. “Is this the real you?” I cocked my head to one side.

“I know it’s disgusting.” His top lip lifted in a sneer.

His voice was still entirely his own, just escaping from a different vessel.

“Is he serious?” Pain asked Panic somewhere behind us.

The skin between my eyes creased as I traced my fingertip over his human nose. It slanted straight down, leading into highly chiseled cheekbones and a squared masculine jaw. “No. You’re…beautiful.”

Surprisingly, Hades didn’t mind my caresses—my fleeting touches.

He rubbed the back of his next almost uncomfortably. “Not helping here, Nutmeg.”

“How did you wind up looking like the other you?”

Hades sighed, taking both my hands into his. “Believe it or not I can occasionally have a bit of anger problem.”

“Who? You?” I half-smiled.

“A long time ago, so far back I can scarcely remember—”

“Four thousand two hundred and twenty-three days,” Panic interrupted.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.

Hades rolled his eyes. “Anyway, the other form—the one with the blue flame?” He made a halo gesture around his head with one hand.

“I’m familiar with it.” I smirked.

“Previously, it was a form I used for intimidation, until one day I couldn’t change back.” His jaw tightened and so did his grip on my hands.

“Why?”

“I’d become so consumed with anger, jealousy, rage…I became the part of me everyone feared most.” His nostril bounced in a snarl.

“You’re not as villainous as everyone tries to make you out to be. Why don’t you ever try to prove them wrong?”

He sighed. “Because sometimes it’s easier to just be who they think you to be. I tried for a long while to convince mortals I wasn’t all doom and gloom despite my day gig, but it did no good.”

“So…” I cocked a single brow. “You wussed out.”

A grin tugged at the corner of his lips and he pulled me against him. “You’re the only mortal on the face of the planet that can talk to me like that. And not only do I let you, but it ignites a fire in my belly that I haven’t felt in—a long time.”

“Four thousand two hundred and twelve—” Panic started.

Hades threw his hand out, sending Pain and Panic flying from the room and into the hallway. The door slammed shut behind them, the tumbler locking into place echoing off the walls of the quiet space.

“How did you change back Hades?” I stared at his lips.

He dipped his head, grazing his nose against my earlobe. “Because you love me.”

My throat squeaked and I caught his gaze. “That’s a big declaration.”

“Don’t you?” His brow furrowed and a frown slid over his mouth when I didn’t respond straight away.

“I wouldn’t have become me again were it not for you accepting the true me. Despite the pointy teeth, the crazy flames of hair, even despite the inferno outbursts, you still looked at me like I was your answer to all life’s questions.”

I let out a shaky breath, a lump forming in my throat.

“You could’ve easily run to Wonder Boy, but you didn’t.”

I blinked so rapidly my vision blurred.

“Do you love me, Meg?” He pressed our foreheads together. “Because I sure as Tartarus love you.”

My heart burst. I curled my arms around his neck and leapt up. He wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me in mid-air and I kissed him. Tears rolled down my cheeks, making the union of our lips salty and sweet.

Pulling away, I stared into his eyes. Eyes that were different than the guy I fell for, but still held the same depth. “Yes. I love you, Hades.”

His chest pumped up and down, his breathing growing erratic.

He pressed his mouth to my ear and said the second sweetest set of three words I could hope for.

“I release you.”


	14. Tether Me

My chest tightened at his words and I peeled back, frantically searching his face for any signs he was joking.

With heavy-lidded eyes he stared back at me, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck, fingers lightly kneading.

“I—” My voice cracked. “I don’t know what to say.”

His gaze dropped to my lips, idly nibbling at the corner of his mouth. “Then don’t say anything.”

He kissed me with an unbridled passion I never imagined the God of the Underworld to possess. His hand on my neck moved to the back of my head, twisting his fingers into my hair. I moaned against his mouth, curling my fingers into the top of his robe, and pulling him tighter against me.

With a sweep of his tongue, he parted my lips, deepening the connection. I whimpered as our mouths devoured one another. His hand slid to the small of my back, moving me forward until the side of my leg bumped against something soft.

The bed.

I peeled away, gazing down at the sprawling black satin comforter. An enormously wide bed fit for a king.

“Did you—” Hades started to say, but I stole his whisper with another kiss, reassuring him that what was about to happen I was completely and utterly on board.

His growl vibrated in my throat as he pushed me backward. My back hit the mattress and I lifted to my elbows in time to see him snap his robe away, standing naked in defined muscular glory, and already…alert. He prowled across the bed, hovering above me.

I reached for him and bit down on his lower lip. He grunted, peeling away with a look of surprise before it morphed into pure deviation. He slid his hands up the outside of my thighs, pushing my dress up until it rested around my ribs.

He dipped his mouth to mine, tendrils of his blue hair skirting over my cheeks. His hips pressed against me, the hardened flesh pushing against my stomach evidence enough that not only are Greek gods equipped to function like us mortals, but also taking it an extra kilometer.

A haggard breath escaped my throat as I wrapped my legs around him, hooking my ankles behind his back. Here’s hoping it was enough of a silent plea for him to get inside me already.

I could feel his wicked grin against my lips as his fingers slipped into the top of my underwear, making them disintegrate. He traced down my folds, making me arch back and whimper.

“Never in a million years would I have imagined a mortal woman willingly giving herself to the King of the Dead.” His deep voice rumbled against my throat.

I bucked my hips. “And I never imagined the God of the Underworld, would ever bother pleasuring a normal gal like me.”

I stared up at him with heavy eyes.

His length pressed against me and every muscle inside me clenched simultaneously.

“You’re far from normal, Nutmeg.” He plunged into me, filling me to the hilt.

I cried out, digging my nails into his back.

He froze, letting my body accustom to him, welcome him, giving my neck licks and nips. Swirls of black smoke and fog wafted around us, making me feel as if I were floating.

He started to rock inside me, bracing himself with his forearms on either side of my head. My breathing went erratic as I stared up at him, those yellow eyes watching my every expression, reading me, desiring to please me.

The smoke and fog surrounded him, reminding me who I was underneath. A god. A king. But still as mortal to me as human man. Better even. The flames of the nearby fireplace turned from orange to blue, sparking and lashing.

With every thrust he gave, I’d roll my hips to meet him, deepening the connection. My body quivered on the edge of exploding. I dropped one hand from his shoulders to grip the dark sheets beneath me for dear life.

He hovered his mouth near my ear. “Let go, Meg. Let go for me.”

His command was enough to push the raging inferno building inside me to cataclysmic proportions. I shrilled out in pleasure, digging my nails so hard into his back if he were mortal, I would’ve broken skin. He snarled against my cheek, thrusting through ever shake and shiver of my release.

When the tremors started to dwindle, he lifted me up, so I was sitting in front of him with my legs sprawled on each side of his hips, my heels digging into the mattress.

“Lift your arms,” he demanded and when I obliged, he tore the dress over my head, throwing it to the side.

A feral growl vibrated in the back of his throat as he gazed down at my bare breasts. He took one into his mouth, tongue swirling over the nipple before giving it a playful bite.

I curled one arm around his neck and rocked myself against him. He returned his mouth to mine, using both of his hands now to grab my butt, guiding my movements.

“You chose me,” he whispered.

I half-smiled. “Smartest choice I’ve made in a very long time.”

His nostrils flared, the intensity of the fog around us growing denser, the blue flames lashing from the fireplace. His thrusts grew harsher and animalistic, shoving me back down to lay on my back, and throwing my legs over his shoulders. He drove deep over and over, making me writhe, buck, and gasp.

As I delved into another climax, this time, he joined me. His back arched and he cried out at the ceiling, his canine teeth sharpening for a fraction of a second as the cry dove into a feral growl. The fog froze in mid-float as did the fire and when his eyes shifted back to me, his body relaxing, the fire and fog disappeared altogether.

He dropped at my side, curling my body against him. I wrapped my arms over his, simpering into his touch. He nibbled on my shoulder, slipping one of his large masculine legs between mine.

“So, that’s what its like, huh?” I teased.

He let out a deep chuckle. “Having sex with a god?”

“Having sex with a king.”

He blew out a breath and flipped me onto my back, hovering over me with an wry smile. “How do you do that?”

I laughed and playfully punched his chest. “Do what?”

“Intrigue me at every turn.”

I shimmied my shoulders. “And give away all my secrets?”

A devilish grin tugged at his lips and he bent down to kiss me but froze.

“Hades? What is it?”

He let out a disgruntled sigh. “Duty calls, babe.”

“What kind of duty?”

After giving a quick kiss to my forehead, he slid from the bed, swung an arm around himself, and in a swirl of smoke he stood as the Hades I’d first met—flaming blue hair, pointy teeth, and all.

I sat up, curling my knees against my chest. “Ah. The…Tartarus kind?”

He frowned, the once human-like eyes replaced by the villainous ones, but he was still there to me.

“I’m sorry I—”

I held up a hand. “Do what you gotta do, Hayd.”

He floated for the door and then paused, peeking at me over his shoulder. “Will you still be here when I come back?”

I smiled. “I’m not going anywhere.”


	15. All Bow

I lay sprawled on Hades’ bed waiting for him to come back. On one side, Panic curled against my hip as I idly scratched his head. The other side, Pain lay on his back, relishing in the lazy swirls I made over his portly belly.

The door suddenly thundered open, a menacing Hades floating through, running a hand over his blue flaming hair. “If I had a dinar for every mortal who fought going to the afterlife, I swear I—” He paused once those yellow eyes fell on me.

He snapped his fingers, turning into his more human form, eyes wide with shock. “You’re still here.”

I sat up, leaning back on my elbows. “I may be a lot of things, Hades, but a liar isn’t one of them.” A lazy smile played over my lips.

His eyes shifted to Pain and Panic on either side of me. “What are these two numbskulls doing in here?”

The demonic minions yelped and scurried behind me.

“We were talking about their little matchmaking scheme.” I made my eyes hooded and sultry. “You should thank them, you know?”

“Me? King of the Underworld thank his minions?” He made a “pfft” sound. “Fat chance.”

Pain and Panic squeezed tighter against me, trembling.

I arched one thin eyebrow at Hades, daring him to say “no” to me.

Hades stared at me before clearing his throat and floating near the bed. “Pain. Panic.”

The two demons peeked out, Panic’s long nose resting over my bicep.

“I suppose over the eons of repeatedly screwing things up, you may have possibly, potentially done…good…this time.” Hades winced. “Thanks.” He quickly patted each of their heads.

They both beamed, curling their fists under their chins, and batting their eyelashes.

“Now go and torture some souls somewhere!” Hades roared, pointing a black nail at the door.

They both jumped and shrieked, disappearing in swirls of blue and red smoke.

I slid my hand across the satin sheets, fully sitting up to wrap my arms around my knees with a wry grin. “Was that so hard?”

He blew out a breath as he dragged one hand down his face. “You have no idea.”

“Come here.” I curled a finger at him, beckoning him to sit with me.

His lips took a wicked curl and he appeared on the bed, already sliding his hand over my hip.

I chuckled, giving his lips a light peck. “Somebody’s ravenous.”

“When you’ve gone as long as I have without the comfort of a woman…true comfort…you tend to get a greedy.”

I placed a palm on his cheek. “Hades, you’re still not planning on releasing the Titans, are you?”

“I hadn’t even thought about it. There’s far more important things to think about now.” He frowned.

“That…wasn’t a no.”

He lay down on his back, pulling me to rest on top of him. “My priorities have shifted, Meg. I won’t touch the big oafs unless Zeus gives me a reason. A real reason, like abusing his power.”

I flattened my hands over his chest and rested my chin on them.

“Are you still hung up on Wonder Boy?” His voice took a gravelly tone.

I squinted one eye. “Who?”

He gave a lop-sided smile, flashing a tiny bit of sharpened incisor. “You’re so fascinating.”

“Cut it out or you’ll make me blush.”

The smile faded, replaced with a deep frown. “You can’t stay here forever, you know?”

“I mean, I am mortal, Hades. I don’t have forever.” I smirked.

“What I meant was…” He trailed his fingers through my hair. “You can’t even stay here much longer. The Underworld tends to get antsy when living mortals outstay their welcome.”

My heart thudded against my ribcage.

How could I have been so stupid? He was a Greek immortal god. I’m just a puny mortal with a life ticking away.

“There’s nothing you can do? You’re the King of the Underworld for crying out loud.” My sinuses stung as I fought back tears.

His eyes casted down and away from me. “There’s only one possible solution. But I’d never ask you to do it.”

“Would I have to die?” My voice sounded distant and barely above a whisper.

His gaze shot back to mine and he quickly sat up, taking me with him. “No. No. That would put you here forever, but you’d be condemned to the Elysian Fields.”

“Then how, Hades? Just tell me.”

His eyes shifted back and forth as he kneaded my shoulders with his fingers. “You’d—” He paused, his nostrils flaring before meeting my eyes with his. “Have to agree to be Queen.”

My jaw dropped and I forgot how to blink, how to breathe. “Of the…Underworld?”

“Yes.”

I pressed a hand to his chest as I slid from the bed, reassuring him I wasn’t saying no, but needed a minute to think. Pacing the room, I pressed a hand to my forehead, my stomach, and then my cheek.

“To go from a poor village woman without any life or prospect to a Queen? A god?”

Hades cleared his throat. “Do you want me to pretend I can’t hear you thinking out loud?”

I had nothing going for me on the surface. Everything I had—I turned around to look at him, taking in the sight of the man I loved—was right here.

Grinning like an idiot, I ran back over, slapping my hands on the bed next to him. “Yes.”

He blinked. “Yes, what?”

“You brooding idiot.” I pressed my lips to his, kissing him, and wrapping my arms around his neck.

He smiled into the kiss, pressing a hand to my lower back. “You’re serious about this?”

“More than anything,” I said through a breathy sigh.

“I really don’t know what to say.”

I nuzzled my nose against his cheek. “Just tell me how I become your Queen.”

He let out a haggard breath and held out his palm. A pomegranate appeared and he snapped it in half revealing the eatable little seeds.

“But won’t this—” I stared down, bewildered at the fruit.

He dragged his knuckles down the side of my face. “It’ll tie you to the Underworld. Make you immortal. And then I’ll do the rest.”

We locked eyes and I knew his hesitation was him giving me one final chance to back out. The anguish in his gaze told me everything I needed to know. He hoped with every sliver of light in him that I’d go through with it but would pretend he wasn’t devastated if I didn’t.

I leaned forward and opened my mouth to him, keeping our gazes fixed on each other. He smiled broad and beautiful as he scooped a few seeds and slid them across my lips.

As I bit into the sweet, sugary bliss, a surge of light pulsed through me, causing my back to arch. And that was it. Within a moment’s glance I was tied to this place. To him.

“That seemed too simple.” My chest pumped up and down.

“Mm. Now comes the best part.” He leapt across the bed, curling his hand behind my neck, and crashing his mouth over mine.

Power surged through me with every swipe of his tongue, my body bending backward, and pressing so tight against his I could scarcely breathe. With each passing second, I became his eternal bride, his eternity…his Queen.

When he pulled away, he gazed down at me with hooded eyes. As they roamed my face and hair, they brightened.

“I feel…different,” I whispered.

He kissed the tip of my nose. “You should. Take a look.” His chin jutted behind me.

I slid from the bed, trailing my hands over my body, not feeling anything different but my familiar human skin. When my reflection peered back at me, I gasped. A pair of radiant yellow eyes stared back; my brown hair replaced with blue. I whipped around to look at Hades.

“You don’t…hate it do you? It’s kind of a package deal.”

I thought about where I wanted to be and went to run toward him, but instantly appeared in his arms.

“Look at you, already porting,” he cooed.

I smiled and kissed him as I moved to sit on his lap. “So…how about that throne?”

He grinned—wicked and majestic. “Always the little spitfire.”

THE END


End file.
